G8/G20 release party

Our Strength Lies in the Justice of Our Cause! Release All G8/G20 Protesters Now!

 

 

The Hamilton Coalition Against the G20 call on everyone to join the following local actions. All are welcome!

 

 Wednesday // June 30 // 2010

 

 

 DROP ALL CHARGES RALLY

 5:00pm // Hamilton Police Station // 155 King William St.

 A solidarity rally for the over 900 arrested and all those still detained

due to protesting the G8/G20 Summit. Organized by Common Cause.

 

OPEN FORUM ON THE G8/G20

6:00pm // Workers Arts & Heritage Centre // 51 Stuart St.

USW 1005 is holding this open forum where everyone can discuss the significance

of the G8/G20 events and how they are part of furthering Harper’s agenda.

 

 

The Hamilton Coalition Against the G20 sends its congratulations to all those across Canada who, under difficult circumstances, took a firm stand against the G8/G20 Summits in Huntsville and Toronto. Despite a lengthy and concerted intimidation campaign, over 40,000 people came together over the last week to denounce the illegitimate G8/G20 and to build the peoples alternative. Four buses from Hamilton joined the actions on June 25 and 26, organized by the Coalition, and Hamilton-based delegations were in attendance throughout the week.

 

The G20 summit and the massive opposition to it, takes place in the context of widespread rejection of the agenda of the Harper government within Canada and of the G8 countries internationally.  At every point, the people have opposed the Harper government’s attacks on democracy which have made Parliament dysfunctional. They have opposed his attacks on everyone: farmers through destroying the Canadian Wheat Board, workers by standing alongside corporations in the face of the destruction of the Canadian manufacturing sector, unions by supporting measures to weaken and destroy them, students by making education increasingly unaffordable. The people have opposed the Harper government’s programs to pay the rich and his government’s cuts to social spending. They have opposed his government’s attacks on women, racialized communities, newcomers, immigrants and other vulnerable sectors of our society. They have demanded that environmental concerns be put on the agenda and that Canada should be a factor for peace in the world. With increasing voice, the Canadian polity has shown its utter contempt and rejection of the Harper agenda.

 

The Coalition is proud to stand with the people detained and denounces the more than 900 arrests over the last week. The Coalition will support all those unjustly imprisoned for affirming their rights. While the world needs genuine people’s democracies, the Harper government is strengthening the instruments of war and repression to make sure the people’s will does not prevail. In order to realize the interests of the rich in Canada and impose U.S. dominance abroad, the opposition of the people must be repressed at home. We saw in the last week how the Harper government bolstered a police state with an unprecedented budget, weapons, and numbers, putting the fear of the gun in the polity so as to block people from affirming their right to political dissent. It is unacceptable that the police attempted, through force, to illegitimately limit the right of all to dissent and their right to protest by imposing a so-called Designated Free Speech Area. It is to the credit of the movement that it took a stand against this, refusing to abide by the police-defined parameters on their right to protest and express their conscience.

 

It is unacceptable that the police can conduct mass arrests of people based on allegations of criminal acts by some alleged protestors on June 26. The people assembled were opposing the policies of the government at the Summits. In response to this opposition that same government declared the rights of all the people in downtown Toronto null and void, criminalizing dissent. The property damage that took place on Saturday - the sum total of the much touted violence allegedly by the protesters - in no way justifies the negation of basic human rights. The repressive police, indiscriminately attacking and detaining organizers, protesters, bystanders, journalists and others have revealed for all the end result of a $1 billion security budget and 25,000 armed personnel on the streets of Toronto.

 

The time is now to fight back against this anti-human agenda. We must defend ourselves against repression and stand together to affirm our rights. We will not back down while the government forces and their apologists use every occasion to fuel the repression by instilling fear and marginalizing our concerns. By stepping up the resistance to oppression we can turn things around in a manner which favours the interests of the people.

 

Our Strength Lies in the Justice of Our Cause!
Release All Detainees Now!
No to Fear Mongering and a Police State!

 

The Hamilton Coalition Against the G20 can be contacted at: Hamiltong20resistance@gmail.com